Rookie Rodgers relying on Lampard's experience after leaving Chelsea to be Watford's new manager

New Watford manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted the experience of 'mentor' Frank Lampard Snr will be crucial to his start to club management.

The Coca-Cola Championship strugglers handed 35-year-old Rodgers his first chance this morning when they named the Chelsea reserve team coach as their new manager.

Giving a relative unknown the job is a risk for the Hornets - though one which paid off when Adrian Boothroyd was handed the job at an even younger age in 2005 - and Rodgers believes that the presence of Lampard on his staff will prove vital.

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Watford bound: Fomer Chelsea reserve team manager Brendan Rodgers

The 60-year-old father and namesake of the Chelsea and England midfielder was previously assistant to Harry Redknapp at Upton Park and has been handed the role of football consultant at Vicarage Road.

Rodgers said: 'Frank is someone I have known for a little while now and our relationship came through young Frank - who I worked with at Chelsea.

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'Talking to the man, and being in his company, I was always very interested in what he had to say and always came away having learned something.

'He has great experience and as a young manager it is important for me to have that alongside me.

'He is a football man, an honest man and a loyal man and those are the key qualities you want in someone as a mentor.'

Watford parted company with Boothroyd at the beginning of the month after a poor start to the season and they head into Tuesday night's game at Bristol City just two points above the relegation zone.

Rodgers will not take charge of the club until after that game and will keep caretaker manager Malky Mackay on his staff as a coach.

The former Hornets and Celtic defender was keen on securing the job on a full-time basis and guided the club to a 3-0 win over QPR on Saturday and Rodgers believes that he is on the way to a successful management career.

He said: 'Having met Malky and after speaking to one or two people that know him well I decided he was the right man for my coaching team.

'There is absolutely no doubt that he's going to be a top manager for the future. I hope to be able to help him because he can learn from my experiences of working with some of the best people in world football.'